Manipulator



Nov. 24, 1925- L. JOHNSON MANI PULAT OR il April 1923 6 Sheets-She't 1INVENTOR INVENTQR 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 L. JOHNSON MANIPULATOR Filed April19, 1923 Nov. 24, 1925- Nov. 24, 1925. 1,562,773

L; JOHNSON MANIPULATOR Filed April 9, 1923 6 Sheets-She't 5 L. JOHNSONNov. 24, 1925- MANIPULATOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 19, 1923 k mmINVENTOR 6 Sheets-She'et 5 INVENTOR L. JOHNSON MANIPULATOR Filed April19, 1923 Nov. 24, 1925. 1,562,773

L. JOH/NSON MANIPU LATOR Filed April 19, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORPatented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LANE JOHNSON, OF INGRAM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED ENGINEERINGAND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

MANIPULATOR.

Application filed April 19, 1923. Serial No. 633,138.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LANE JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ingram, county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Manipulators, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact -de-. scription.

The present invention relates broadly to metal working, and moreparticularly to manipulators adapted for use with rolling mills forturning an ingot or billet being rolled through 90 degrees betweensuccessive roll passes.

It is necessary that a manipulator for use with rolling mills be capableof moving the billet, the term billet being hereinafter used genericallyas including within its definition any material being rolled,transversely of the roll table and also of rotatng it through 90degrees. For this purpose, it has heretofore been proposed to provideconstructions with operating parts located below and in line with theroll table. These have proven objectionable in use due to the burningout,

pitting and the like caused by the hot scale and dirt, as well as theinaccessibility. In order to overcome these objections, manipulatorshave been constructed so as to position the supports and operatingmechanism above and laterally of the line of delivery of the billets.Due to the overhang necessitated by such a position of the supports, ithas been found essential with manipulators of this later type to havethe parts thereof extremely heavy, not only'to carry their own weight,but also part of the weight of the billet being manipulated. Thisunnecessarily increases the cost, both of manufacture and installation,as well as the continued cost of operation.

By the present invention, there are combined the advantages of both ofthe types of manipulators referred to, in that a light constructionprotected from slag, dirt and the like is made possible.

In the accompanying drawings, there are shown for purposes ofillustration only, certain preferred embodiments of this invention, itbeing understood that the drawings do not define the limits of theinvention, as changes may obviously be made in the construction andoperation without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope ofmy broader claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a manipulator embodying the presentinvention, the roll table being illustrated in chain lines,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the construction illustrated in Figure1,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of one form of manipulator illustrating theoperation thereof for effecting turning movement of a billet,

Figure 4: is a view corresponding to Figure 2, illustrating a slightlymodified form of the invention, 7

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the construction illustrated in Figure 4,A

Figure 6 is a vertical detail sectional view, on an enlarged scale, onthe line VIVI of Figure 4, v

Figure. 7 is a vertical detail Sectional View, on an enlarged scale, onthe line VIIVII of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 8 is'a front elevation, with certain of the parts shown insection, of a portion of one of the side guards and its associatedparts,

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view on the line IXIX of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a side elevation illustrating a slightly modified form ofroll table con-- struction;

Figure 11 is a top plan view ofa slightly modified form of installation,and

Figure 12 is a transverse sectional view on the line XII-XII of Figure11.

Referringmore particularly to Figures 1, 2, 3, 8 21nd of the drawings,there is shown a portion of a billet delivery means, which mayconveniently be in the form" of a roll table 2, as is customary in theart. These roll tables usually comprise a series of rolls 8 supported attheir opposite ends in table girders .4, and adapted to be driven inunison from one end through suitable gearing from a jack-shaft 5. Itwill be understood that be apparent that as the upon rotation of thejack-shaft in one direction or the other, the roll table may be causedto deliver a billet from the rolling mill to the manipulator, or fromthe manipulator back to the mill.

The manipulator itself may conveniently be formed of two sections A andB located respectively on op osite sides of the billet dehvery means. hesection A is adapted merely for effecting movement of the billettransversely of the billet delivery means, while the section B isadapted not only to produce such transverse movement, but also to effectturning of the billet through substantially 90 degrees'betweensuccessive roll passes.

The manipulator section A may conveniently comprise a suitable basehaving extending transversely thereof a shaft 6 mounted in suitablebearings 7 at its opposite ends. Adjacent each of the bearings 7 theshaft 6 may have secured thereto vector or segmental members 8, whichmay or may not have their curved surfaces formed with side flanges 9.Supported entirely at their outer ends upon the members 8 aremanipulator beams 10, these beams extending inwardly across one of thetable girders 4 and being slidably supported thereon by a slide bearing11. At their forward ends the manipulator beams carry a side guard 12adapted to engage the billet for moving it transversely of the rolls 3.

For I moving the mani ulator beams to effect movement of the si e guard12 transversely of the billet delivery means, the shaft 6 may be formedwith crank arms 13 adapted to be connected by links 14 to a piston rod15. This piston rod may have at each end thereof a erate with a hydauhccylinder 16, whereby the rod may be moved at will in oppositedirections.

Also carried by the shaft 6 are levers 17 having their upper endspivotally connected to links 18, which in turn are pivotally connectedto the rear ends of the manipulator beams 10. With this construction, itwill iston rod 15 is moved to the left, as viewe in Figures 1 and 2,itwill move the members 8 and the levers 17, thereby producing alongitudinal movement of the beams 10. 'This movement will be effectivefor transferring the billets to the desired. oint on the billet deliverymeans. It W1 1 be apparent that by reason of'the provision of a slidebearing 11 adjacent the inner end of each of the manipulator beams, andthe provision of supporting sectors adjacent the rear ends thereof, thebeams themselves may be of comparatively light construction.

The manipulator section B may, in certain respects, be similar inconstruction to that of the section A, in that it comprises a istonadapted to coop-.

main transversely extending shaft 6' operated by hydraulic cylinders 16,and carrying segmental supporting members 8. The actuating connectionsfor the parts of the manipulator section B referred to have beendesignated by the same reference characters as those heretofore used inconnection with the section A, but with a prime suflixed thereto.

The manipulator beams 10 are supported adjacent their outer ends by thesegmental members 8, in a manner similar to that already described, butat their inner ends are supported in a distinctive manner. This supportfor each of the manipulator beams comprises a guide 19 extendingtransversely of the roll table and secured at its opposite ends to thetable girders 4. Only a comparatively small portion 20 of the guide isutilized as an actual supporting face. In diflerent installations thelength of the supporting face may vary in accord ance with the amount ofclearness provided between the side guard for the manipulator section Aand its corresponding tablegirder, it being desirable in every instancethat the supporting face he of such length that at all times it will becompletely covered and protected by the inner end of the manipulatorbeam 10, which cooperates therewith. This supporting face may carry acovering or plate 21 of suitable bearing material. It will be apparentthat with th1s construction the actual supporting portion of the guidemay be kept lubricated at all times, and that it will be protected fromany falling scale, dirt and the like. In this manner, the objectionswhich have heretofore existed to the use of guides and other operatingmechanism between the table girders or below the table are obviated.

Carried by each of the manipulator beams 10' is a guard arm 22 ofgenerally angular cross section, as clearlyshown inFigure 7. Theseggzard arms are carried by the manipulator ams in such manner that the.depending or vertically extending flange portions 23 overlie the outsideof their respective beam. This ermits a limited outward movement thereorelative to the beams under the expansion and contraction of the guard24 carried thereby and illustrated in detail in Figures 8 and 9. Asclearly shown in these figures, the inner ends of the guard arms 22 areprovided with attaching lugs 25, to which the guard is secured by meansof bolts 26. In continuous use, the contact of the guard with the hotbillets causes the same to expand. As pointedout, this expansion istaken care of by the relative movement permitted between the guard armsand their respective beams.

For attaching the guard arms 22- to the beams which carry the same, theguard arms are provided at a point intermediate their ends with a boss27 on the flange 23, and on the opposite side are formed with a lug 28having a similar boss 29. Each of the manipulator beams 10 is drilled toreceive a pin 30 which extends transversely therethrough, and throughthe bosses on the cor: responding guard arm. This provides a pivotalconnection between the guard arms and the beams. If desired, the pins 30may be held against rotation by means of set screws 31. These pins 30are utilized for transmitting lateral motion to the beams 10 and guardarms 22 simultaneously by means of links 32 secured to the ends of thepins at one end, and at their opposite ends secured to the levers 1'7.

When the manipulator section B is in the desired operative position inwhich it is desired to turn the billet before its next passage to therolls, it is necessary to lift the guard 24 vertically relatively to theroll table and the associated mechanism. For accomplishing thismovement, each of the uard arms has pivotally secured to the outer endthereof links 33, which links at their lower ends are pivotallyconnected to crank arms 34 carried by a transversely extending shaft 35mounted in the base of the manipulator. For rotating this shaft to movethe crank arms downwardly, the shaft is provided intermediate its endswith a crank arm 36 connected in any desired manner to a suitableoperating mechanism, such as a hydraulic cylinder and piston 37. It willbe noted, from Figures 2 and 3, that the rear ends of the manipulatorbeams have their upper surfaces inclined downwardly from the pivot pins30 to the outer ends thereof This provides a clearance space between thebeams and the guard arms, permitting the guard arms to rock about thepins 30 into the position shown in Figure 3.

For actually engaging the billet to effect the desired turning movementthereof, the guard 24 is provided with any desired number of dependingmanipulator fingers 38. These fingers may be formed with shoulders 39normally positioned below the line of delivery of the billet deliverymeans, but adapted upon operation of the manipulator to move upwardlyinto engagement with the corner of a billet and thereby turn the same.

It will be apparent that with the construction just described,the weightof the manipulator is carried partly by the supporting faces 20 at apoint adjacent that at which the billet is manipulated. This materiallydecreases the overhang of the parts, and enables the use of' amaterially lighter construction. At the same time, the weight of theguard 24 is such as to tend to hold the guard arms in their lowerpositions during movement of the manipulator transversely of the billetdelivery means. In this manner, the guard 24 is caused to move in astraight line.' Any relative movement necessitated between the links 33and the crank arms 34 during such transverse movement is automaticallytaken care of by a movement of the hydraulic piston within the cylinder37 provided therefor.

In certain cases it ma be desirable to use operating mechanism ot erthan a hydraulic cylinder. In'such an event, the constructionillustrated more particularly in Figures 4 and 5 may be employed. Inthis modified construction, the essential diflerence consists insupporting the links 33 from similar links 40 carried by crank arms 41which in turn extend upwardly from the shaft 35. The point of connectionbetween the links 33' and the links 40 is also connected to a third setof links 42 pivotally connected to the levers 17. It will be apparentthat this provides a so-called parallel motion connection in which thedownward movement of the lower end of the link 40 and the lateralmovement thereof compensates for any tendency of the guard arm 22- tomove rela-' tively to the manipulator beam 10. The shaft 35 may beoperated for lifting the front end of the guard arms 22' by a downwardlyextending crank arm 43 having a connection 44 with a source of operatingpower, not shown. The limit of travel of the segmental member 8 may bedetermined by spring buffers 45 provided for engagement with suitablestops 46' thereon. In actual practice, it has been found that the guardarms may be raised to any angular position, and the entire device movedin a direction transverse to the line of delivery of the billet deliverymeans without causing the guard to travel out of a predeterminedstraight line. It will be apparent that the detail construction shown inFigures 6 and 7 is in all material respects common to the constructionsof Figures 1, 2 and 3 and F igures 4 and 5.

In order to prevent relative movement of the manipulator beams 10 and10' inwardly, they are adapted to cooperate with vertically extendingbearing plates 47 engaging their inner sides. Extending between theseplates is a strut 48 having a length such that it just engages thebearing plates 47. This insures a construction of great rigidity anddefinitely holds the manipulator beams against any undue inwardmovement..

In Figure 10 there is shown a slightly modified form of construction, inwhich the guides 19 do not extend from one table girder to the other.They are entirely carried by the girder adjacent the manipulator sectionB with which they cooperate.

In Figures 11 and 12, the rolls 50 are illustrated as having taperednecks 51 terminating in bearing portions 52. These hearing portionsthroughout the major length of the table are journalled partly on thetable girders 53 and cap bearings 54. Be-

tween the manipulator beams 10',however, there is utilized a modifiedconstruction in which the strut 48 not only holds the manipulator beamsagainst inward movement, but also constitutes cap bearings for therolls. In this case the strut serves a double purpose, and thereby stillfurther increases the rigidity of the manipulator.

It will be apparent that in an installation of this character theclearance between the guard 52% and the table girder is increased,thereby enabling the use of a supporting face 20 of much greater length.In order to still further increase the effective length of the face,there may be provided supplemental guides 55 located exteriorly of thetable girder. h

The advantages of the present invention arise from the provision of amanipulator in which a straight line motion of the side guardstransversely of the billet delivery means is made possible, and in whichpoints of sup )ort are provided adjacent opposite ends 0 the manipulatorbeams.

Still further advantages arise from the provision of a supporting meanswithin the line of the billet delivery means and below the level thereofand so constructed that it may be continuously lubricated and protected.

Still further advantages arise from the provision of a construction inwhich relative movement-to compensate for expansion and contraction dueto temperature changes is made possible.

I claim:

1. In a manipulator, a roll table having side girders, a guide betweensaid girders having a horizontal supporting face below the plane ofdelivery of the roll table and extending a substantial part only of thedistance between said girders, and manipulating means slidable on saidguide, substantially as described.

2. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, a guide within the line ofdelivery of said means, said guide having a supporting face belowthe'plane of delivery ofsaid delivery means and of materially lesslength than the width of the billet delivery means, and manipulatingmeans sli'dably supported on said supporting face, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, a guide within the line ofdelivery of said means, said guide having a supporting face below theplane of delivery of said delivery means and of materially less lengththan the width of the billet delivery means, and manipulating meansslidably supported on said supporting face and completely covering thesupporting face at all times, substantially as described.

4. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, a guide within the line ofdelivery of said means, said guide having a supportinw face below the(plane of delivery of said de ivery means an extending but part of thelength of said guide, and manipulating means slidably supported on saidface, substantially as described.

5. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, a guide within the line ofdelivery of said means, said guide having a supporting face below theplane of delivery of said delivery means and extending but part of thelength of said guide, and manipulating means slidably supported on saidface and completely covering the face at all times, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, a guide within the line ofdelivery of said means, said guide having a supporting face materiallyless in length than the width of the billet delivery means, amanipulator beam movably supported on said face, means for moving saidbeam, a guard arm pivotally carried by said beam, and means for movingthe guard arm relatively to said beam to turn a billet, substantially asdescribed. v

7. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, guides within the line ofdelivery of said means and below the plane of delivery thereof, saidguides having a supiorting face of materially less length than the widthof the billet delivery means, a beam slidably supported by eachsupporting face, guard arms movably carried by said beams, billetengaging means carried by said guard arms, means for simultaneouslymoving said beams and said guard arms, and means for moving the guardarms relatively to said beams for turning a billet, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, manipulator beamscooperating therewith, means supporting said beams formovementtransversely of said delivery means, a cap bearing section extendingcontinuously between said beams and preventing inward movement thereof,and manipulating means carried by said beams, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, manipu ator beamscooperating therewith, means supporting said beams for movementtransversely of said delivery means, a cap bearing section extendingcontinuously between said beams and preventing inward movement thereof,and manipulating means carried by said beams, said' manipulating meansbeing adapted to move laterally relatively to said beams to compensatefor temperature changes in the manipulator, substantially as described.

10. In a manipulator, a manipulator beam,

means supporting the same for lateral movement, said beam having aportion of its upper surface tapered downwardly, a guard arm havingpivotal connection with said manipulator beam adjacent the beginning ofsaid tapered portion, and means for moving the guard arm about saidpivotal connection, substantially as described.

11. In a manipulator, a roll table having side girders, delivery rollscarried thereby, sup ting means within the line of delivery of saidrolls adjacent one of said table girders only and having a supportingface below the plane of delivery of said roll table, and manipulatingmeans carried by said supporting means, substantially as described.

12. In a manipulator, a roll table having side girders, delivery rollscarried thereby, supporting means within the line of delivery of saidrolls adjacent one of said table girders only and having a supportingface below the plane of delivery of said roll table, and manipulatingmeans carried by said supporting means and completely covering andprotectin the same at all times, substantially as escribed.

13. In a manipulator, a supporting beam, an angular guard arm pivotallyconnected to said beam and laterally movable relatively thereto, andmeans for moving at least a portion of said guard arm upwardly withrespect to said beam, substantially as described.

14. In a manipulator, a roll table constituting billet delivery means,billet engaging means cooperating therewith, and means within the lineof delivery of said roll table but wholly below the plane of deliverythereof and adjacent one side of the roll table only for supporting saidbillet engaging means. substantially as described.

15. In a manipulator, a roll table constituting billet delivery means,billet engaging means cooperating therewith, and means within the lineof delivery of said roll table but wholly below the plane of deliverythereof and adjacent one side of the roll table; only for supportingsaid billet engaging,

means, said last mentioned means being carhand.

ried by said roll table, substantially as described.

16. In a manipulator, a roll table having side girders, a guide carriedby one of said girders and having a supporting face below the line ofdelivery of the roll table, said guide projecting at substantially rightangles from one side of the table girder, and manipulating meansslidable on said guide, substantially as described.

17. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, a guide having asupporting face below the plane of delivery of said delivery means andmaterially less in length than the width of the billet delivery means,said guide being carried by said delivery means, and manipulating meansslidably supported on said guide, substantially as described.

' 18. In a manipulator, billet delivery means, manipulator beamscooperating therewith, supporting guides carried by said billet deliverymeans below the line of delivery thereof and adapted to be covered atall times by said manipulator beams, and a strut extending continuouslybetween said beams and preventing inward movement thereof, substantiallyas described.

19. In a manipulator, a billet delivery means, a guide carried by saidbillet delivery means and having a supporting face below the plane ofdelivery thereof, a manipulator beam slidably supported by said guideand completely covering said face at all times, and manipulating meanscarried by said beam, substantially as described.

20. In a manipulator, a roll table having side girders, a guide betweensaid girders having a supporting face below the plane of delivery of theroll table and extending but part of the distance between said girders,manipulating means slidable on said guide, and supporting and actuatingmeans for saidmanipulating means positioned wholly at one side of saidroll table.

.-J 'In testimony whereof I have hereunto set LANE JOHNSON.

